Brauer's height zero conjecture (Q7019331)

In this paper, the proof of Brauer's height zero conjecture, from 1955, is completed. Let \(B\) be a Brauer \(p\)-block for a finite group \(G\) with defect group \(D\), where \(p\) is a prime. The conjecture asserts that \(\chi(1)_p=[G:D]_p\) for all \(\chi \in \mathrm{Irr}(B)\) if and only if \(D\) is abelian. Here, \(\mathrm{Irr}(B)\) denotes the set of irreducible characters in \(B\), where we note that we always have \(\chi(1)_p \geq [G:D]_p\).\N\NThe `if' direction was completed by \textit{R. Kessar} and \textit{G. Malle} [Ann. Math. (2) 178, No. 1, 321--384 (2013; Zbl 1317.20006)]. The case \(p=2\) of the `only if' direction was completed by \textit{L. Ruhstorfer} [Ann. Math. (2) 201, No. 2, 379--457 (2025; Zbl 1561.20011)]. In the paper under review, the authors complete the `only if' direction by proving it for odd primes.\N\NA substantial part of the paper concerns the action of automorphisms on the irreducible characters of quasi-simple groups. Of independent interest is the following: if \(S\) is a quasi-simple group and \(b\) a \(p\)-block of \(S\) with non-cyclic defect groups for \(p\) an odd prime, then one or both of the following holds: \(\mathrm{Irr}(b)\) contains characters from at least three different \(\mathrm{Aut}(S)\)-orbits; all characters in \(\mathrm{Irr}(b)\) have the same degree.